Drivers see move towards nationwide 20mph speed limits get closer as talks of 2025 rollout begin
The Scottish Government hopes the speed limits will reduce the number of road accidents
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Drivers in Scotland could see mandatory 20mph speed limits rolled out across the nation in a bid to crack down on dangerous travel.
The move launched by the Scottish Greens’ transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP comes as reports found that lower speeds would save lives.
Ruskell’s comments also follow the Scottish Government consultation on how changing speed limits could help reduce road deaths.
In 2018 Ruskell brought forward a Members Bill to replace the current 30mph default speed limit on restricted roads with a 20mph limit.
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The default 20mph speed limits were introduced in Wales in September last year
PAThe Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government included a commitment to expand 20mph in Scotland, with an agreement that “all appropriate roads in built up areas will have a safer speed limit of 20mph by 2025”.
Ruskell said: “Lower speed limits save lives. By rolling out a 20mph default across Scotland we can decrease road deaths and create safer streets and communities.
“We have seen the success that 20mph limits have had in Wales, cutting speeds and reducing road fatalities, and I want to see the same thing happening here in Scotland.
“I am glad that the Scottish Government is consulting on this, because it is a long overdue change.”
He added: “We should all have the right to feel safe, and this is a simple change that would help to transform our neighbourhoods and make people feel more confident when walking,wheeling and cycling.
“There has been important progress in some parts of our country, but we can’t let road safety become a postcode lottery. National limits are the most effective way of saving lives.”
The MSP hopes that Scotland will introduce similar wide-spread 20mph limits like the ones currently operating in Wales.
Over the last 11 months, data from the Welsh Government has found that the drop from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads has helped save lives.
The number of cases where people have been killed or seriously injured on roads in Wales fell to 78 in the first three months of 2024 compared to 101 incidents recorded in the first three months of 2023.
The Green MSP had previously tried to introduce lower speeds in 2019 but failed to garner the support needed from fellow Holyrood MPs.
During that time, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson stated that councils were “best placed” to use their local knowledge to decide where 20mph limits should be brought in, rather than through legislation.
But now as reports revealed road casualties in Scotland have increased, Holyrood has been forced to reconsider.
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An increasing number of 20mph speed limit roads are being rolled out PARuskell remarked: “We need to learn from their experience and replicate its success across Scotland. Fundamentally it’s about safety and making our neighbourhoods more welcoming and accessible for all.
“We have already made really important progress across parts of the country, with lifesaving 20mph defaults becoming more and more common, and it’s crucial that the Scottish Government supports councils to finish the job as soon as possible.”